What is the best dual-SIM phone you can buy in the UK?

Your buying guide for the best dual-SIM phones in 2017

Dual-SIM smartphones let you use two SIMs in a single phone. Most people who use dual-SIM phones find the functionality useful for mixing work and pleasure, rather than carrying separate phones for their work- and personal contracts. See all phone reviews

Dual-SIM phones are also useful for maintaining two personal contracts, however, whereby one might offer a good rate on calls and texts, and the other offers unlimited data. Or perhaps you frequently travel abroad, and would like to carry a UK SIM for when you're at home and another that is local to the country you're visiting.

Dual-SIM phones are incredibly popular outside the UK, but for some reason us Brits are being left out of the dual-SIM party.

This is one reason why the Chinese market has become a popular solution for picking up a dual-SIM phone, but there are risks involved - read our advice on buying grey-market dual-SIM phones.

How do dual-SIM phones work?

Something we've noticed when shopping for dual-SIM phones is that the manufacturer very rarely provides any information about the functionality other than it exists. It doesn't tell you how the dual-SIM functionality works in practice, nor whether both SIMs support 4G, or even what size SIM cards they accept.

You can never assume: you'll need to contact the manufacturer or check spec tables, reviews or forums to find out this information. Also see: Best budget phones

In all the dual-SIM phones we've tested both SIMs are on standby at all times (known as dual-standby phones), but you can actively use only one SIM at a time. This means that either SIM can accept a phone call or text at any time, without you having to actively swap between them or reboot the phone.

However, if you get a call on one number while a call is active on the other, it won't start ringing in your ear or give you the option to put the first caller on hold - the call will simply not be successful. Also see: Best kids' phones 2017

What is the difference between Dual-Standby and Dual-Active?

Dual-active SIM phones use two modems and allow you to receive calls on both numbers at once. See also: Best Android smartphones

If it's you who wants to make a call or send a text, Android has a standard SIM Management menu that lets you specify which SIM should be used for voice calls, video calls, messages and mobile data. You can either specify a particular SIM for each of these tasks, or leave the setting at Always ask.

The data connection is where there seems to be a lot of confusion when it comes to dual-SIM phones. Whereas both SIM slots on some dual-SIM phones are capable of supporting 3G or 4G connections, you can use 4G on only one SIM at a time. Also see: Best smartphones 2017.

Unlike with calls and texts the data connection can't be on standby for both SIMs: you must specify which SIM you want to use rather than select one when prompted.

By default, when you are using the data connection on one SIM and a phone call comes in to the other it will pause the data connection on the first. Also see: Best new phones coming in 2017.

Another issue when using dual-SIM phones is where your contacts are stored. We found that by default the contacts from both SIM cards are stored in the phonebook.

If you'd rather see the contacts from only one SIM, tap the three dots icon (within the Contacts app) and choose 'Contacts to display'. You can then select All contacts, Gmail contacts, phone contacts or one of your two SIMs.

Best dual-SIM phones 2017 UK - best dual-SIM phone reviews

The OnePlus 5T isn’t a surprise, both in its existence and the fact it’s very similar to the OnePlus 5. It stands as a reminder that 2017 was the year every company quickly produced a phone with an 18:9 display to make sure its bezels didn’t look outdated on the store shelf.

But OnePlus isn’t on many store shelves given its online retail approach, and its many vocal core fans who bought the 5 will be annoyed by the 5T. OnePlus needed to update its design language quickly to keep up with the wider market where it is yet to make a dent, and the 5T is overall a better device than the 5.

And let's not forget that for £449, the OnePlus 5T is an exceptionally well rounded smartphone. It is at least £100 cheaper than similar handsets, and sometimes close to £300 less.

If you buy into the design (without waterproofing and wireless charging)and price but can accept that the camera isn't top draw and it’ll probably be superseded in six months, then it’s a great choice.

This really is an amazing phone, and only the Chinese software puts us off recommending it for a UK audience. It is crazy fast, crazy beautiful and crazy priced. If you know your way around Android go and get one, and you won’t be disappointed.

We cannot recommend the Xiaomi Mi5s enough. This is the smartphone every 2016 flagship wanted to be, and it comes with a price tag half that of theirs. Fantastic build quality, fantastic performance, fantastic storage, battery and connectivity options - the Xiaomi Mi5s gets a big thumbs-up from us.

The Mi Note 2 was wrongly overshadowed at its launch. This is a gorgeous big-screen Android phone with very decent performance, a great camera and plenty of storage. We'd like to see a Quad-HD screen on Xiaomi's flagship phone, but this one should prove plenty sharp and clear. Google apps are not preinstalled, but there is a workaround if you are happy to do some tweaking.

We remain huge fans of the Mi Mix family, but rather than the revolutionary beast it once was Xiaomi's 'bezel-less' phone has been brought kicking and screaming into line with other Android flagships.

It may have lost some of its wow factor, but in the most part we're pleased with the changes: we love the new design, both smaller and lighter and therefore more manageable than before. We also love the improved connectivity, now with complete UK 4G support.

We don't love the reduction in battery life, though, nor the loss of the headphone jack, and we're not enamoured with the new camera bump.

But the Mi Mix 2 is still a fantastic phone: significantly faster than its predecessor, and much better looking. Better still, it's as affordable as ever, making it a great alternative to other Android flagships - provided you can either live without or cope with having to set up Google services yourself.

In the Mi Mix 3 we would love to see Xiaomi's dual-camera implemented, plus a higher-resolution screen. Waterproofing and wireless charging would also be good shouts.

Running Flyme OS 5 out of the box, the well-built Meizu Pro 6 Plus is a fantastic Android phone with some seriously good performance, a vibrant and high-resolution screen and a decent camera. Unfortunately, though cheaper than UK flagships, at £399 (before import duty) it’s still too pricey to properly compete with the Galaxy S7 and OnePlus 3T. Neither are we in love with Flyme OS.

There’s plenty of competition in Android’s budget market, but the Moto G5 is the best around right now. The build quality alone feels like it belongs on a much more expensive phone, while the fingerprint gesture controls genuinely improve the Android experience.

The benchmarks and battery hold it back, but they're not unreasonable given the price - and you won't find a much better looking phone at £169. All that said, it may be worth holding on until 25 July when Motorola may be announcing a premium version of the G5 and G5 Plus.

It’s not as fast as its predecessors, with which it shares the same but still just as good-looking design, but we do like the extra battery power and storage space, and the improved cameras of the Z1. We’re also pretty keen on the price - at £139 the UMIDIGI Z1 is a very impressive budget phone.

The Honor 8 is a fantastic smartphone, but the price has gone up from the Honor 7. In return for the additional expense you get a fantastic dual-camera, a sleek and stylish design, a faster fingerprint sensor and a beautiful display, which combined make the Honor 8 a worthy competitor to the OnePlus 3.

Comments

balsingh458 - 12:40 08-03-2017

Which phones can run 3G or above on both SIMS? The Three network in the UK doesn't support 2G at all.

Frank van Brandenburg - 19:12 07-03-2017

I have the following issue:

two sim cards, both with data, and Sim1 is preferred data provider.

What happens when I call with Sim2? Im I still able to use data while calling? I know only one sim can be active, but will Sim2 ten take over the data intake?

Or do I need a Dual Sim active phone for this? I was looking at Oneplus 3 phone

Guest 635994 - 04:38 14-12-2016

Telcos just killed off Dual Sim phones.

Only one SIM can be used for Data at a time.

The second SIM can only use 2G.

The problem is that most Telcos in Australia are in the process of or have already shut off their GSM/2G networks.

Voice and Data both rely on 2/3/4G or LTE.

If the 2nd SIM can't access more than 2G when the other card is the primary, the second slot if effectively just a battery draining SIM card holding hole in your phone...The true death of dual sim phones (for Australia at least) will be April 2017... FML

seanmcm - 22:16 19-11-2016

And finally, after this most useless roundup, here is my dual sim selection in the run up to black Friday:

seanmcm - 19:30 19-11-2016

This back from Xiaomi, "Xiaomi doesn't have any CE conformity as they don't sell in EU".

So basically, it is not specified to work in the UK. I wonder if my house burnt down because Xiaomi wasn't meant to be used in the UK could I sue PCAdvisor?

seanmcm - 19:12 19-11-2016

I have contacted oneplus3 directly and checked xiaomi, ulefone and elephone.

I could not find an EU declaration of conformity for any of these phones, meaning they are illegal to import into the UK. Oneplus told me the had it but could not show it to me?

It seems to be a great collection of phones that are illegal for use in Europe..... for all we know the transmit power is dangerously high and cooks peoples brains.

1940rugby - 18:11 24-10-2016

We Why no mention of moto G4 plus. Which ordered direct from Motorola.co.uk comes with dual sim standby?

A google User - 12:39 03-10-2016

No mention of the Honor 5C, which is arguably a better phone than the Moto G2 I previously had. Bigger screen, more internal storage, better camera, built in call/text blocking and the NFC chipset that is missing from all the Moto G line-ups soldin the UK. At £149.99 it is fantastic value.

Tony4417 - 12:50 14-04-2016

So where can we buy these dual sim phones in the UK??

arabi666 - 17:02 01-04-2016

Pretty useless article as it doesn't tell you where to buy the 'phones.

Guest 43079 - 23:25 03-03-2016

OK I'm not sure what's gone wrong at positions 2,3,4. The ZUK Z1 tops the Oneplus X, having better clock speed, way more space (64GB vs 16GB), a HUGE battery, USB-C and they're the same price! The Redmi price you note here is the cheaper 2GB, 16GB version, but the slightly more expensive one with 32GB HDD and 3GB memory tips the OnePlus X for a bigger battery.

I'm not clear on your criteria here, but price doesn't seem to be the factor!!!

A better order is Oneplus 2, ZUK Z1, Redmi note 3 and Oneplus X.

You might wanna update your pricing. The OP2 is now £249. 16GB no longer available.

Eugen F - 18:33 05-02-2016

O...my. God...you are on another planet. What the hell is umi, bloboo and so on? All top models of Samsung, LG, Lenovo, Huawei and Sony phones have their dual sim versions. Top Chinese phones are Lenovo, Huawei and indeed Xiaomi, ZTE, which are less kwown in Europe. I have a LG G3 dual sim, but there is a newer G4 dual sim version, much better than the mambo jumbo of your top. OnePlus 2 is a very good phone indeed.

Wade Snider - 12:02 01-02-2016

iDROID UAE is producing some of the best android smartphones one could imagine. Tango 2 has a front flash for selfies in the pitch dark. It has a 2.5 D Gorilla glass screen and many more attractive features. Go to iDROID dot AE to get yourself a handy yet fast smartphone.

Ovídio Daio - 10:52 20-01-2016

Zenfone 2 ??????

Ivan K - 10:37 20-10-2015

Seems that no top phones made into the list. Here is what I would consider (and Internet can help you to find the place to buy).Samsung Galaxy S3,S4,S5 S6 - all have dual sim version and (except S6) - a micro SD slot), Samsung A series - second sim or MicroSD in the same slot - no good.Sony Z3, Z4, Z4, M4 - Second Sim + Micro SDHTC M7,M8,M9LG G3, G4 (H818), G4sMotorola X Play 2015 - Brazilian version Pretty much all of them have LTE at least on 1 sim card, but LTE bands are not global - so check the bands in use in your country.

For me - the best use of Dual Sim is when I travel - I purchase a local sim for internet and local calls and my "home" sim card is used only for text messages and emergency calls and for both 2G on a second sim slot is already enough.

I do hate the 2015 trend for collapsing second sim and a microsd all in one slot, especially on phones with just 16Gb storage. Many Chinese phones of 2015 and Samsung A series fall into this category.

Marco Di Grazia - 15:31 14-09-2015

Aren't you talking about Zopo? Really? That's crazy. So many chinese brands and you forget about one of the most cheap and good. Amazing price/quality ratio: no doubt.

Cavehomme - 21:18 05-08-2015

What a poor list. The author needs to do more research and see that all the main brands do excellent dual SIM, even triple SIM.

To call these "grey market" is lazy, even mischievous. The reason they are not available normally on the UK high street is that nearly all phones in the UK shops are bought with a contract, that means the network operator sells it via a shop. Those network operators source the phones form the manufacturer and the last thing they want in the phones they sell is a second SIM slot so that the owners can use another cheaper network and dilute their profits! Same reason for them having SIM-locked phones.

The alternative is to buy your phone outright. You own it, but you pay the price upfront. You then put in whichever SIM card(s) you want to put in it. The shop will happily sell you dual SIM, after all they simply selling the phone. You may think paying full price for the phone is expensive, but often it works out cheaper compared to higher monthly charges you pay over a 12-24 month contract versus a SIM only / pre-pay card. Either way, you have to pay for the phone.

Peter Lea - 07:00 09-07-2015

Can anyone tell me which phones will take 3G/4G on both sims? I need the two to have good reception in different areas.

lukas yardbird - 17:12 23-06-2015

Lude - 03:31 19-06-2015

Can anyone please recommend any phones that support 3G in both sim slots

I had to return the Asus Zenfone 2 as it only supports 2G in slot 2; same as most phones that I've been researching.

Making a list of phones that support 3G in both sim slots would be awesome!

aggelikh - 12:16 13-06-2015

The only dual sim full active phone that supports all bands (and not like the huawei versions that are all only for china market with chopped Bands for europe and usa) is Asus Zenfone ZE551ML with the 4gb of ram.

Just1 - 08:54 13-05-2015

S5 Mini is not Dual-active, is using call forwarding.

Snigger - 00:51 14-04-2015

OK had the Mate 7 a while now and I love it the only niggles are Moto G remembers your calling preferences sim wise so however the screen and the weight of the Mate are superb. Case wise go for the more expensive original rather than others as it is lighter. Lollipop due in may.

anonymus - 15:03 04-04-2015

Check out Kruger&Matz FLOW

nini - 11:27 19-03-2015

why there's nothing about acer liquid e700

Tim - 18:05 21-02-2015

It is paramount to know if a phone is Dual Sim Dual Active or Dual Sim Dual Standby. To the author; please be so kind and add this very important info...

Snigger - 08:06 20-02-2015

Huawei Mate 7 32GB is Dual Sim and Full active so if you want to be able to take a call from the other sim whilst talking on the other sim this will do it.

The Moto G I have is terrific value but has dual sim standby only. This means I miss important calls and texts. However I gave up 2 Phones for this and would not go back to Apple.

I am just waiting for the Mate 7 to be available in the UK (4 Months behind Europe)

bugfree - 23:48 19-02-2015

how comes you keep missing Sony products in all your recommendations while they provide best quality

J Ralph - 17:13 16-01-2015

What about the Galaxy S3 neo? Sure its an s3, but the neo version, released around April 2014, has slightly more ram, as well as everything great about the standard s3, and being dual sim. It seems easier to get hold of than those from the list, I got fed up waiting for the moto g 2 over Xmas so got the neo. Its available from £140 to £170 sim free. Am I missing the reason its not on this list?

ed - 20:55 08-01-2015

mrodent33 - 19:28 08-01-2015

Must try harder. Some of these comments are from 7 months ago (I write in Jan 2015)... so how come these are "the best Dual SIM phones 2015"? Er some sort of rehash conocted in 2 minutes praps? Marie, you go from hero(ine) to zero(ine) in 2 seconds flat... obviously a rehashed listicle based on no serious analysis at all. No mention of 3G/4G issues. For example, I don't currently believe there is a single Dual SIM phone in the world which can take two 3G SIMs and operate both. NB I need to upgrade from my current (oldish) Samsung Dual SIM which, when a 3G SIM is placed in one slot, can't be operated with any other SIM at all! Dual SIM is such a brilliant idea but very difficult to get any serious info on which to base choices. Your bad.

Darren - 19:53 14-12-2014

What about the xperia z3 dual and the galaxy s5 duos

purpledaug - 15:52 09-12-2014

"11 best dual-SIM"...but no mention of dual-SIM functions/features. article has no relevance to it's title